Greek authorities have transferred 17 suspects to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Athens as part of an investigation into alleged illegal agricultural subsidies worth €4.5 million.
The arrests were carried out in northern Greece, including the regions of Kilkis, Thessaloniki and Florina, following an operation led by Greece’s financial crime investigators.
The suspects arrived at the offices of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday morning under strict security measures after being transported overnight from Thessaloniki.
According to investigators, the accused are believed to have participated in a scheme that illegally obtained subsidy funds through OPEKEPE, Greece’s agency responsible for managing European agricultural payments. Authorities say the alleged fraud caused millions of euros in losses to European Union funds.
The investigation comes alongside a separate subsidy fraud case in Crete, where 22 additional suspects were brought before European prosecutors on Wednesday over alleged damages exceeding €3 million.
In the Crete case, European prosecutors filed felony charges after reviewing evidence connected to the alleged fraud network. The suspects are expected to appear before a European investigating judge in the coming days to request additional time for their defense statements.
